Delhi High Court allows Google engineer to leave India amid legal storm over hiking gadget

A seemingly innocuous piece of radio equipment allegedly sent wrong signals to the authorities, triggering a series of legal troubles for Augustus Teran, a 25-year-old US citizen. A software engineer with Google and an avid hiker, found himself entangled in a legal storm over a “Garmin inReach Mini 2” receiver found in his hand baggage during routine security screening at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on December 21, 2024.

Teran’s stand has all along been that the device is designed for hikers to track their location in emergencies. But an FIR was registered in the matter as the possession of such radio equipment without authorisation or licence was an offence under the provisions of the Telecommunications Act

Acting on his petition, the Delhi High Court has now allowed the petitioner to leave India at any time during the validity of his tourist visa. The permission came with a condition. He was asked to undertake to make himself available for investigation whenever called by the investigating officer through a written notice served via WhatsApp or email. “Since the petitioner is ordinarily not a resident of India, he is permitted to join investigation via videoconferencing,” Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani asserted.

The matter was brought to the high court’s notice after the petitioner through counsel Aditya Singla, Supriya Juneja, Ritwik Saha and Umang Mishra sought the quashing of the FIR dated December 22, 2024, registered under the provisions of the Telecommunications Act, 2023, at the IGI airport police station in Delhi.

The court was told during the course of hearing that the petitioner was intercepted at the airport while boarding a flight to the US since he was carrying the device in his hand baggage. Appearing before the bench, Singla argued the petitioner, an avid hiker, had inadvertently left the device in his hand baggage after his recent hiking trip in Colorado, US, in October 2024.

The counsel added the petitioner entered India on December 14, 2024, on a tourist visa for a wedding function and was leaving the country on December 21, 2024, when the device was found in his hand baggage.

Singla also placed before the bench a copy of purchase receipt dated May 31, 2022, along with literature explaining its use and a watch before submitting that the device was legitimately purchased in Massachusetts, US. It was used by the petitioner in the past to identify his location while on faraway treks in Osteria Mocenigo, Italy, on July 21, 2022, and in Four Pass Loop in the US on August 13, 2022.

“Most importantly, it is pointed out that as per the record of use of the device available on the related ‘app’ on the petitioner’s cell phone, it can be seen that the device was last used on August 13, 2022; and that the device has never been used while the petitioner was in India between December 14, 2024, and December 21, 2024. It is also submitted that the essential function of the device is also now available in high-end Apple watches,” the court observed, while fixing the matter for further hearing on March 28.